Arachnid Warrior Bugs (Starship Troopers)

by EmanG

*"Your basic Arachnid Warrior isn't too smart, but you can blow off a limb and it's still 86% combat effective. Here's a tip, aim for the nerve stem and put it down for good."* **WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE? [YES][NO]** Warrior Bugs are the primary combatants of the Arachnid species. They stand approximately 2.35 meters in height and weigh close to 550 kilograms. Their bodies are quadrupedal, with the forelegs proportioned to two-thirds the size of the hind legs. Their eyes are small and sunken, often shielded by the maxillae on either side of their mouths. A pair of hypersensitive organs sit towards the back of the head, just above the thorax and nerve stem. These help the Warrior Bug maintain balance due to its bodily size and weight distribution. Their primary offensive appendage is a pair of prehensile raptor forelimbs flanking either side of the head. These do not end in tarsi (seen on the praying mantis), taking the shape of curved blades for piercing and slashing. Their mandibles are a secondary offensive appendage, with a bite strong enough to cleave a man in two, shear steel beams, and pierce power armor. Due to the size of these mandibles, it's theorized that their food has to be pre-masticated and fed to them by lesser worker bugs. Despite their highly specialized combat prowess, the Arachnids expend Warrior Bugs in the same way the Mobile Infantry would expend their ammunition. In an engagement, there are an average of 100 Warrior Bugs for every deployed mobile infantryman. They have incredibly resilient chitinous exoskeletons, able to take enormous amounts of firepower before they finally succumb to their wounds. This extreme specialization combined with their sheer weight of numbers makes fighting the Arachnids a truly bloody affair.